Air-brake apparatus



(No Model.) I v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' G. WESTINGHOUSE, Jr.'

Arr Brake Apparatus Pa tented June 28,188].

51 Cum LIM N PETERS. Pnmmumqn mr. Wllhinlun, I10

(No Model.)

zc M/ G. WESTINGHOUSE, Jr.

' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Air Brake Apparatus.

Patented June 28,1881.

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M v WM y j N. PETERS Fhnlu-Ulhngrzuhlr, Wahinmn. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE, JR, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

AIR-BRAKE APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 243,415, dated June 28,1881.

' Application filed April 1,1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Gnonen WESTING- HoUsE, Jr., of Pittsburg, county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in Air- BrakeApparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,concise, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, inwhich-like letters i ndicating like parts-- Figure 1, Sheet 1, is alongitudinal sectional view of the triple or automatic valve employed inmy present improvement, with its ports and connections, and alsoshowing, in

part, an auxiliary reservoir and waive-chamber. Fig. 2 is a transversesectional view in the plane of theline m at of Fig. 1, lookingto theleft, and showing the cock, plug, or key K in elevation. Fig. 3 is aside elevation of the triplevalve case as looked at from the left ofFig. 2; and Fig. 4, Sheet 2, is a diagram view illustrative of theorganization of a brake apparatus embodying the presentimprovements.

-My present invention is more particularly directed to the constructionand combination of apparatus whereby the two styles or systems ofair-brake apparatus commonly known as the Westinghouse compressed-airbrake and the Westinghouse automatic brake may be combined in use andoperation at the same time on the sametrain.

While I do not limit myself to anyparticular train use of thiscombination, I have devised it with particular reference to trainpurposes, especially on roads which have long and heavy grades, andwhere a moderate but comparatively constant degree or amount ofbrake-power has to be-applied for a considerable time; and I alsoprovide an improved means for releasing and cutting off or out of actionthe automatic part of the apparatus in case, for any reason, it shouldget out of order when out on the line where repairs cannot be made. Y Y

Some of the features of construction of the present apparatus are shownin Patent No. 235,922, granted to me December 28, 1580. Here, as there,the brake-cylinder, the auxiliary reservoir, and the valve-case whichcontains the Valve apparatus employed for giving proper direction to theflow of the fluid-pressure in the automatic brake, are, by preference,included in what may be termed a single structure, one of suchstructures beingapplied to each car as a part of the automaticappliances.

. -In the diagram, Fig. 4, I have shown in outline, but with sufficientclearness for the pressent purpose, an air-compressing pump, P a mainreservoir, R the air inlet-pipe p, which supplies air to thepumping-cylinder, and the air-pipe p, which leads to the main reservoir.From this main reservoir, usually arranged on the locomotive, two linesof brake-pipe extend back beneath the cars of the train. The one line,q, leads, by the'ordinary three-way cock q, to the brake-pipe (1 whichpipe and cock may represent such as are used with the Westinghousecompressed air brake, so called, wherein the power is first stored up inthe reservoir, and then by manipulation of the cock is allowed to flowback th rough the brakepipes when, and only when, it is desired to applythe brakes. In the other line a pipe, g leads to a cock, a such as isused or is adapted for use. in working the Vestinghouse automatic brake,and from this the brake-pipe (1 leads back beneath the cars, as before.This line may be called the automatic line. The usual hose and couplingsare to be added hetweencars, and in other respects (not hereinspecified) these appliances are to be fitted up many of the ways knownin the art.

The apparatus through which both lines of pipe, g andg", are broughtinto" conjoint use is illustrated in-all thefigures, but more fully inFig.1, where R represents the auxiliary reservoir, and 0 thebrake-cylinder, a portion of each being broken away for convenienceofillustration. The outer end of the reservoir R has alarge open port, It,and over this port is secured, by bolting or otherwise, the valve-case Aof what is termed in the Westinghouse automatic brake a triple valve.This triple-valve device has substantially the construction described inUnited States Pattent No. 220,556, granted to me October 14, 187 9, withmore particular reference to Fig. 4 thereof, with the exception thattheport there marked 0, and here marked 0 O, leads by pipe P directlythrough the auxiliary reservoir R to the brake-cylinder, here marked 0though obviously it may pass around outside the auxiliary reservoir, ifso preferred; also,

the escape-port there, as here, lettered E, instead of opening into theopen air, opens into a branch, T, Fig. 4, of the line of brake-pipe galso, the cock K, in addition to the ports k It, has an additional port,2, which opens to the external atmosphere, Figs. 2 and 3.

The construction and operation of devices not herein specificallydescribed will be readily understood byreference to the patent lastnamed, where similar devices have like lettering; but even thisreference is unnecessary, as the devices in question are already in eX-.tensive public use, and, as such, constitute a part of the artalreadyknown to those skilled therein.

With the appliances in their usual or normal conditiont hatis, with thepipe q free of more than atmospheric pressure, the cock q closed, thecock Q3 open, so that the pipe q, with its branch q, and the auxiliaryreservoirs R charged with a workiugfluid-pressure,and the triple valvein the position shown in Fig. 1, the train will be in running order andthe brakes will be off. Each auxiliary reservoir will receive its chargeof compressed air from g by the appropriate ports and passages P, It, P,B, b, B, ca a B and It. If, now, theengineer wishes to apply the brakes,he shifts his automatic cock (1 in the usual way, which will result inthe lowering of the pressure in the brake-pipe q and chamber 13, cause aback-stroke of the piston G, which will shift the valve H, cut off theport E, and open communication from B", through 0, 7c, and O and Pto'the brake-cylinder 0", so as to apply the brakes with more or lessforce, according to the amount of the reduction of air-pressure in thepipe q.

Thus far the operation varies in no material respect from what isdescribed in the patents above referred to; but it is of greatimportance in the running of heavy trains down very long and steepgradients that a uniform and easily regulated variable pressure bemaintained in the brake-pipes and cylinders, which is sometimes somewhatdifficult with the autom atic apparatus alone.

By my present invention, instead of exhausting into the open air thefluid-pressure as itescapes from the brake-cylinder when the brakes arepartially or wholly released by the automatic method of operation, Iconnect the escape-port E, by the branch g with the pipe g so that theescaping air shall go into and be confined in such pipe. Then, as thebrakes are successively applied'and released in the automatic operation,the fluid-pressure escaping from the brake-cylinder on each release willbe charged into the brake-pipe g and will soon accumulate to, or nearlyto, the degree of pressure which the engineer may desire to preserve inhis brake-cylinder, and the pipe 1 and the brake-cylinder being broughtinto communication on each release, the same degree of pressure, ornearly the same, will soon exist in both. In case such degree ofpressure should accidentally or by miscalcula= so release the brakes.

is made lengthwise of the cock, key, or plug,

tion, or in consequence of a change in the speed of the train, or onaccount of a change of grade, or for other cause, become too great, suchop erative pressure may be reduced much or little by shifting the cock qso as to lower the pressure in q", and, of course, in the brakecylinder.

Should operative pressure at any time, for any reason, he too little, itmay be increased by working the automatic, as before, or by shifting thecock q so as to turn on pressure from the main reservoir through thepipe g In this way, through two separate lines of connection, each ofwhich may be brought into action independently of the other, theengineer possesses the most perfect control over his brakes, and throughthem over his train, on all variations of track, grade, or speed; and itis also a further advantage that while the automatic acts the morequickly, it is possible, by combining the two systems of operation,particularly with engineers unskilled in the accurate use of theautomatic, to get more accurate adjustments of brake-power by using thecompressed-air system by pipe q", for effecting slight variations ofpressure after the average or approximately the desired pressure hasbeen attained with the automatic. Also, it has sometimes happened inunskilled hands, or in consequence of injury or imperfeet care, that theautomatic brake would not release on the restoration of the pressure inpipe q. When this happens the cock K may be turned so as to bring theport 2 into communication with the port 0, and thereby let the airescape from the brake-cylinder G and To this end the port 2 and atitsouter end opens to the atmosphere.

I havedescribed the invention as applied to a single set of carequipment; but the apparatus described is merely duplicated on thedifferent ears of the train. It should be stated, however, that thehose-couplin gs between the 'cars on. the pipe g by preference, have novalves to close their ports when a train pulls in two, and the rearcoupling of the last car should be closed by a dummy, special cook, or

otherwise.

I claim herein as my invention- 1. The method of combining acompressedair system of brake apparatus and an automatic system byconnecting the brake-pipe of the former with the exhaust-port of thelatter, substantially as set forth.

2. Acock, K, having an exhaust-port, z, in combination with thebrake-cylinder and exhaust-pipe of an automatic brake apparatus,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I my hand.

GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE, JR.

have hereunto set

